The Jumuah Khutbah of last week explained the link between the Imam of our time, Imam Mahdi (a.s), and the purpose of creation itself. The purpose of creation necessitates the existence of our Imam Mahdi (a.s), and it was again mentioned in last week’s Jumuah Khutbah, from the verse of the Holy Quran which we are very familiar with, namely verse 56 of Surah Dhaariyat (chapter 51), where we see that the purpose of our creation is to worship Almighty Allah (SWT):

“And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.”

Worship goes beyond the rituals we are familiar with. Instead, worship refers to every aspect of our human life being a reflection of worship of Almighty Allah (SWT). In the narrations of the Imams of Ahlul Bait (a.s) they expand on the meaning of this verse, explaining the need to worship Almighty Allah (SWT) is so that He is known! That is why we worship Almighty Allah (SWT), so that we have Ma’rifat of Him in our lives.

HOW DO WE KNOW ALMIGHTY ALLAH (SWT)?

Firstly, even if we do not believe in God (SWT), how do we know Almighty Allah (SWT) intellectually? Secondly, even after believing in God (SWT), how do we know Almighty Allah (SWT)?

We know Almighty Allah (SWT) only and purely through the Asma-ul-Husna, which is the beautiful, divine names. The Holy Quran teaches us these beautiful 99 names of Almighty Allah (SWT). Even though these names come to us in the Holy Quran in its condensed form, just like duas (supplications) are reflected in the Holy Quran in its condensed form, the Ahlul Bait (a.s) are then the ones who expand on these meanings and expressions of dua and the Asma-ul-Husna ie. the divine names.

Therefore, in the tradition of the Ahlul Bait (a.s) and one of the most beautiful duas which we read for welcoming the month of Ramadaan (which commences in a few days) is Dua Joushan al-Kabeer. We also read this dua on the nights of Qadr. This Dua Joushan al-Kabeer is essentially a dua of the Ahlul Bait (a.s) where they expand on the expression of these 99 names to reach an expression of the 99 names in 1000 different forms. This is Dua Joushan al-Kabeer! It is essentially the 99 names of Allah (SWT) expressed in 1000 different ways.

Now, why are we taught that Almighty Allah (SWT) is all-loving, all-kind, all-knowledgeable, all-aware, all-powerful, all merciful, all-forgiving, etc? Why are we taught these names of Almighty Allah (SWT) in the Holy Quran? We are taught these names so that we may become knowledgeable of Almighty Allah (SWT) in some limited sense in which it can be achieved. Furthermore, we are taught these 99 names of Almighty Allah (SWT) so that we may mould our personality on His standards, and become God-like. That is the purpose of us being taught the 99 names of Almighty Allah (SWT) in the Holy Quran.

AHLUL BAIT (A.S) ARE THE ASMA-UL-HUSNA

At the same time, while we may not be perfect in any way, or in any way near to inculcating these 99 names of Almighty Allah (SWT) in our lives and becoming God-like, Almighty Allah (SWT) ensured from the very beginning of creation that at all times, from then until the Day of Judgement, that He will always have a representative of Himself in this world, who will be a reflection of those 99 names. This is the Khalifatullahi fil ard ie. the representative of Allah (SWT) on the earth.

The best of those expressions and representatives who manifested these 99 names, is none other than the beloved messenger of Allah (SWT), Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)! After him, the best representatives and reflections of these 99 names then become the Ahlul Bait (a.s). Thus, the Imams of the Ahlul Bait (a.s) describe themselves as “nahnu asma-ul-Husna”. “We ARE the Divine Names of Allah (SWT)!”

What does this mean really? They do not become God? What they are saying is that they are the PERFECT MANIFESTATION of the 99 Names of Almighty Allah (SWT), and because of this we know Allah (SWT) through them! Therefore, we will get to know Allah (SWT) if we study their lives!

MONTH OF THE MARTYR IN RAMADAAN IS UPON US

The month of Ramadaan starts in a few days’ time ie. the month of revelation of the Holy Quran, which is our guidance on the path of perfection. This is perfection - to know and have Ma’rifat of Almighty Allah (SWT). Verse 185 of Surah Baqarah (Chapter 2) explains that the Holy Quran is the clear evidence of guidance and the criterion for distinguishing between what is right and wrong.

“Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong).”

Usually we dedicate this last Jumuah before Ramadaan starts, to the sermon of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) which he delivered in the last Jumuah of Shabaan. However, circumstances are different today, and therefore my emphasis is slightly different in today’s Jumuah khutbah. Let me at least refer to a brief extract of that remarkable Jumuah khutbah which Rasulullah (SAWA) delivered on the last Friday of Shabaan.

The narrator of this khutbah is none other than Amir al-Mu’mineen, Imam Ali (a.s). We are all familiar with this sermon. Rasulullah (SAWA) explains the beauty of this month of Ramadaan which is about to commence, by saying that:

We are guests of Almighty Allah (SWT);

Our breathing in this month is Tasbih;

Our sleeping in this month is Ibadah;

Our reward for Nawafil is as if we have performed ibadah which is compulsory;

The reward for reading the Holy Quran is exponentially elevated in this month;

The reward for giving Iftar to someone who has fasted all day;

The doors of Heaven are open;

The doors of Hell are locked;

Satan is chained

And the list continues. After explaining all the beauties of this month, the narrator of this Hadith who is Imam Ali (a.s), is listening intently to Rasulullah (SAWA) deliver this Jumuah lecture. Imam Ali (a.s) asks Rasulullah (SAWA): "O the Prophet of Allah, what is the best deed in this month of Ramadaan?”Rasulullah (SAWA) replied: "O Abul Hasan, abstaining from the matters forbidden by Allah, the Majestic, the Glorified is the best deed in this month.”

Rasulullah (SAWA) starts to cry after delivering this beautiful lecture about what the month of Ramadaan is. Imam Ali (a.s) is naturally concerned and asks Rasulullah (SAWA) what is making him weep. Rasulullah (SAWA) replies:

"O Ali (a.s) I weep for what they will do with you in this month. As if I am with you, and you are offering prayers to your Lord, when the worst of the past generation, and those who are yet to come, a brother of the person who slaughtered the camel of Thamood has come and gives you a (sword) blow on your head, which reddens your beard."

Rasulullah (SAWA) is saying to Imam Ali (a.s) that he will be martyred during this month of Ramadaan. Naturally, when someone says that you are going to be dying, there generally is a multitude of things running through your mind, such as your family, your children, who is going to take care of everything, and so on.

“O the Prophet of Allah, what will be the condition of my Imaan (faith) when this happens? Will my Imaan be safe?"

This is all that Imam Ali (a.s) is concerned about!

Rasulullah (SAWA) replied: "Yes, it will be with the safety of your Faith O' Ali (a.s)."

The most perfect expression of Ma’rifat of Allah (SWT) is to be martyred in His way...and what a manifestation was Imam Ali (a.s)?! Indeed, a perfect manifestation of all the Divine Names!

JUSTICE IS THE OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE SCHOOL OF ALI (A.S)

In the Muslim world we do have different understanding and school of thoughts in Islam, but we are ALL Muslim. We ALL believe in the same Shahadah which declares one to be Muslim, namely "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger."

All Muslims believe in JUSTICE as a Divine Attribute, reflected in the life of the most perfect human being in Rasulullah (SAWA). Justice is an outstanding feature in the lives of the Imams of the Ahlul Bait (a.s) and also therefore it is an outstanding feature in the followers of the Imams of the Ahlul Bait (a.s). They place great emphasis on Justice! In fact, this is one of the draw cards for many people towards love of the Ahlul Bait (a.s).

Even in Aqeedah (ideology), Justice is separately identified by the followers of Ahlul Bait (a.s) as a root of religion.

That being said, Justice is the easiest thing to speak about according to Imam Ali (a.s), but he goes further to say that it is the most difficult thing to practice! We see how Justice was practiced in the most sublime manner in the life of Imam Ali (a.s)!

First of all, what is Justice? The most common theological definition of Justice is to give everyone his due right. However, some Ulama have given the definition of Justice a deeper meaning by stating that Justice is putting everything in its rightful place.

WHAT IS JUSTICE ACCORDING TO IMAM ALI (A.S)?

How was this understanding of Justice practiced by Imam Ali (a.s)? He considers the removal of a morsel of food from the mouth of an ant to be an injustice to the ant!

The brother of Imam Ali (a.s) came to visit him one night for personal reasons while Imam Ali (a.s) was busy with matters pertaining to his role as head of the Islamic state. Imam Ali (a.s) immediately extinguishes the lamp that he was using while he was working and replaces it with his personal lamp before entering into the discussion with his brother.

His brother was naturally perplexed, wanting to know why Imam Ali (a.s) put out the one lamp only to replace it with another lamp! Imam Ali (a.s) explains that the lamp he was using while working is paid for from the public treasury (baitul maal), but since the nature of the visit by his brother was a personal visit, he deemed it unjust to use the lamp that is paid for from the public treasury (baitul maal) for this personal visit and therefore immediately proceeded to turn it off and use his personal lamp instead.

This is Justice – putting everything in its rightful place!

In another example we see that one of the close followers and lovers of Imam Ali (a.s) is convicted from stealing. Imam Ali (a.s) cuts this person’s fingers off, as that was the punishment according to Islamic law. This was Imam Ali (a.s) administering justice. He did what he needed to do in preserving the dignity of a just system of governance, and had to divorce himself from considering the implications of whether this man will still be his close supporter thereafter.

This happened during a time when there was fitna in the Islamic state, with Mu’awiya resorting to all kinds of tactics to deter people from Imam Ali (a.s). So this man was taunted by Mu’awiya’s camp, as they asked him whether he is still a lover of Imam Ali (a.s). This lover of Imam Ali (a.s), who had his fingers cut by Imam Ali (a.s) as punishment for stealing, responded to them by saying that he is now even closer to Imam Ali (a.s)!

When Imam Ali’s (a.s) daughter approaches him, wanting to borrow a necklace from the baitul maal and return it the following day, he get extremely upset and considers it an injustice!

Upon himself and running the Islamic state, Imam Ali (a.s) shows such profound justice, such that the Lebanese Christian George Jordac who read Nahjul Balagha 200 times, concludes by saying that "Ali is the Voice of Human Justice".

OPPOSITE OF JUSTICE IS INJUSTICE OR OPPRESSION

Why do people commit injustice or oppression? There are various reasons for this, discussed theologically, as follows:

Ignorance - they don't know. Example, you take something that does not belong to you and you don’t know, or you do something that you are not supposed to do.

Need – example is someone who is so poor and desperate that they resort to stealing in order to survive.

Greed - they don't have a need, but they suffer from insatiable desire to want more and more and satisfy their greed.

Force - like a tyrant forces his army to attack innocent people

These are all injustices but they reflect different levels of injustice and thus different levels of motivation for committing this injustice.

There is another level and reason regarding why someone would commit an injustice, and that is because of their CRUEL NATURE. This usually results in the worst injustice being committed. Hence we find that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) calls the killer of Imam Ali (and this type of killer) the worst from the previous and the future generations!

The Holy Quran also speaks about injustice in a sense of categories. Killing - by itself (murder) - is a serious crime. It is a major sin, as explained in verse 93 of Surah Nisa (chapter 4):

"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell wherein shall he abide forever, and Allah's wrath shall be on him and He curses him and prepares for him a mighty punishment."

In verse 32 of Surah Maa’ida, Almighty Allah (SWT) explains that taking of any innocent soul is like killing the whole of humanity:

“Whoever slays a human being for other than manslaughter or mischief in the earth, it is as he had slain mankind as a whole.”

But sometimes it goes beyond murder itself and it then becomes even worse. There is a series of verses at different places in the Holy Quran which start with the wording "and who is more unjust", and then gives a description of a certain group of people to define a certain action of these real unjust ones. One of these verses is verse 114 of Surah Baqarah (chapter 2):

“And who is more unjust than he who prevents the mosques of Allah of His Name being remembered therein and strives for their ruin?”

BROTHER ABBAS WAS MURDERED INSIDE THE MOSQUE BY THOSE WANTING TO PRAY!

The murderer of Imam Ali was from the Khawarij. Why are they the worst? It is because they claim to be pious Muslims, but they commit the worst of crimes. This is after portraying a very pious image of long beards and big Sajdah marks on their foreheads. So Imam Ali (a.s) is murdered inside mosque while performing Fajr by these people.

Yesterday afternoon at around 2.30pm, the Imam Husayn (a.s) Masjid in Durban was victim to the first ever terrorist attack on a Masjid in post-Apartheid South Africa. Yes, mosques have been robbed and crimes of that nature have taken place all over, but this was the first TERRORIST on a mosque in our beloved country.

The resident Imam Sheikh Ali Nchinyane and the Muathin/caretaker were at the mosque. The gates were locked as it was long after Dhur time. The intercom was rang and 3 supposed Muslim brothers want to perform Salaah! They are allowed in, and why not, since they wanted to perform Salaah?!

They petrol bomb the library and hall, and started stabbing the Imam, Sheikh Ali Nchinyane, and the Muathin, brother Muhammad and brutally killed brother Abbas Essop by slitting his throat.

Brother Abbas hails from a well-known Shia family. His parents are old followers of Ahlul Bait (a.s). May Allah (SWT) grant these elderly parents perseverance during these difficult days.

Brother Abbas, true to his name, defended the mosque like Abbas in history would have done. In trying to defend the mosque, unfortunately, brother Abbas’s throat was slit and he became a martyr.

His name is Abbas...and Abbas is never a coward but jumps into the middle of the battle even if he is KILLED. We could also have been sitting with the Janaza of Sheikh Ali Nchinyane and the Muathin today!

The purpose behind such TERRORIST acts is to create terror ie. immense fear in our hearts to practice our faith. But by giving our blood we instill life into our community to work harder.

Verse 169 of Surah aal-Imraan (chapter 3 of the Holy Quran) reminds us that the martyrs are alive:

“Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord”

Our martyrs inspire, and the cowards are being hunted down and may they be caught soon. Their plans will only bring them ruin!

Sheikh Ali is recovering and Brother Muhammad is still in serious condition. We pray for their full recovery and that brother Abbas is received into caravan of martyrs of Imam Husayn (a.s), and that Almighty Allah (SWT) places sabr in the heart of his wife and 2 orphans.

SECOND KHUTBAH – BE AMBASSADORS OF AHLUL BAIT (A.S) IN THESE DIFFICULT DAYS

I start this second khutbah by reminding myself and all of you to observe Taqwa of Almighty Allah (SWT) especially as WE are under the microscope!

With all the suffering that the Ahlul Bait (a.s) had to endure, they strictly adhered to JUSTICE and even more so showed mercy. Even before Imam Husayn (a.s) was going to be martyred, he was willing to forgive the cursed Shimr, his murderer. Even after Karbala when the murderers were hunted down, some came to seek shelter from Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s) and he did not turn them away!

Terrorist acts have the potential to throw our society into hell and an abyss. Our grand leader and Marja, Ayatollah Sistani practically showed us how to avoid this. The approach of Ahlul Bait (a.s) is to show greater acts of kindness to others. This is very important!

Don't react by doing anything crazy. Instead, rather show more mercy to others and to our Muslim community at large and restrain ourselves. This is very, very important! This approach will truly kill the spirit of Takfiris as they thrive on an agenda of hate amongst us.

Let us use this platform to build more love and unity amongst ourselves.

I want to share a very beautiful story of when Mosul (Iraq) was under attack. As you may be aware, Mosul is predominantly a Sunni city. That is the nature of its demographic. This city was under attack from the demonic ISIS cult. We recall that Ayatollah Sistani ordered that all the maukibs between Najaf and Karbala be used to accommodate these people from Mosul. These maukibs are makeshift facilities used by millions of people to refresh themselves as they walk the long distance to Karbala during the iconic Arbaeen walk annually.

This is why you will see today, that through this generous act of his and hundreds of more such efforts, that nobody will have the courage to speak badly about Ayatollah Sistani because he has the confidence of EVERYONE, no matter what school of thought we come from.

So the point is, we need to reach out.

Let us unreservedly accept and acknowledge all the letters of condemnation that were issued by virtually everyone starting with MJC who was among the first to call us after the incident. While we try to make sense of what happened, also remember there are powers out there internationally whose very existence depends on our communities hating each other.

Donald Trump pulling USA out of the Iran nuclear deal was driven by financial interests in my view. With North Korea and South Korea speaking for the first time and suddenly becoming friends, there is no more a nuclear threat from there. Since there is no nuclear threat, we see that the share price of arms companies took a tumble as a result of this. So Iran must remain the threat so they can keep the value of their arms companies up.

So let us reflect during these difficult times this Divine attribute of Mercy and at the same time complain to Allah (SWT) with the beautiful last part of Dua Iftitah that we recite every night in Ramadaan:

O Allah: we complain to You

About the departure of our Prophet —Your blessings be on him and on his Household

And about the absence of our leader,

And about the big numbers of our enemies,

And about our few number,

And about widespread disorder,

and about vicissitudes of time against us.

So, (please do) send blessings on Muhammad and on his Household

And help us overcome all that through victory from You that You expedite